St. Scholastica secures federal funding, celebrates research

On Wednesday, Sept. 24, students from The College of St. Scholastica showcased their academic research at the McNair Scholars Summer Research Symposium. This event came just days after the TRIO McNair Scholars program faced funding uncertainty; the federally funded initiative supports first-generation college students from working-class families to thrive in research, graduate studies, and advanced careers.

Director Troy Abfalter ’04 (MBA ’22) spoke with the Duluth News Tribune (DNT) at the event: “With this program, you just really see so many stories about students who don’t believe that they can reach these very high goals. And then with just a little bit of guidance and someone to believe in them and walk with them on their journey, it just unleashes so much of their potential.”

This summer, 12 McNair Scholars engaged in intensive research, culminating in presentations at notable conferences, including the McNair Research Conference at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I think one really powerful thing about the McNair program is just getting students who wouldn’t know otherwise, about the opportunities for them,” noted program mentor Dr. Amber Schlater, associate professor of Biology, to DNT. “I kind of stumbled through undergraduate, but I look at this program and I can see the real benefit it has in providing the scaffolding in all the necessary steps to be a successful researcher.”

To learn more about this significant milestone and the impactful work of the McNair Scholars program, read the full Duluth News Tribune article.